Many years ago my parents met with Jim Mariani to put together their joint family trust and associated documents, like powers of attorney, medical power of attorney, wills, etc. Later my parents went over their trust and provided me with a copy as I was a successor trustee.
Jim is not an attorney, but rather a legal document provider. he provides a very excellent package of necessary documents which are each to complete and then be compiled in a tabbed binder. He can advise on the use of the forms, but if you have a complicated estate you will want to tap an attorney to ensure that your trust will be as you like it to be.
Jim's services help to ensure that your family is in charge of meeting your desired goals as to property and healthcare decisions, rather than the State of California. Having a living trust is a crucial tool to keep you in control of your estate.
The trust was re-stated/rewritten when my mother died so the trustee was my father. It was done very quickly, just 18 days after my mother passed. Jim was right there.
A bonus that I appreciated was a video, taken by Jim Mariani, of my dad, sitting in his chair answering Jim's questions:
Why did you establish your trust?
What do you want to happen to your estate after you die?
Who do you want to manage your estate if you cannot do it?
How do you want the assets of your trust distributed?
This was an excellent way to capture my dad's intent as to his trust and his assets. Especially if you anticipate any challenges to your trust, this is a great way to demonstrate exactly what the owner of the trust wants.
I kept a copy of this video.
As dad aged, he became frustrated with the work that he normally did, like paying bills, contributing money to charities and doing the accounting work on his investments. He asked me to take over doing this for him, but I ran into the reality that the trust is very restrictive.
Jim gave us the way forward through another re-statement of the trust. My dad would, in writing, resign as the trustee, appointing me as the new trustee. I would reply, in writing that I accepted the trustee position and duties. The new trust did have me as the trustee.
Then came the many transactions, such as selling property, opening and closing accounts and other financial dealings. What Jim set up was clear as can be as I would lay out the sequence of events relative to the trust management for title companies, financial institutions and medical facilities.
I could not have effectively managed my dad's trust if the re-statements had not been crystal clear.
Now dad has died. He had a great run at life passing at 99 years and 8 months of age. Assets of the trust stayed exactly where they are and the paperwork is minimal.
HomeTrust and Jim Mariani are super to work with, reasonably priced and accessible by phone and electronics. Jim is easy to work with and in effect became a family member.
Thanks, Jim for helping me avoid a lot of pain and confusion with my parent's estate. read more
